loveless // haylor au

chapter five

"every single morning she dreams about the place, all the better problems were miles away"

~

chapter five
the actual problem

July 8th

'Dee, would you have sex with me?'

I watch Dee's iced coffee spray out her nose, and onto the coffee table. She had reached a hand up to stop it but failed. I jolt away in my seat, shifting to the left.

'That was gross,' I mutter and Dee coughs loudly into her hand, which has the people around us turning to look.
She was really causing a scene and I told her.
She glares up at me, continuing to choke into her palm. I roll my eyes and pass her my napkin.

After a minute, when she's calmed down and gotten her breath back, Dee folds her arms and just stares at me, her eyebrows raised, 'Why would you ask that?' she barks, and I shrug, digging a fork into my carrot cake.

'Dunno. I just... was curious.'

It was mid afternoon, we were sat in the middle of one of my favourite coffee shops, laptops in front of us, cake and coffee's too. Dee had a black and white spotted dress on, her hair tucked up into a bun.

'You can't just ask one of your girl friends if they'll sleep with you, Harry. Totally uncool.'

'I don't actually want to have sex with you. Christ, Dee. I just wanted to know if you would.'

'No!' Dee immediately hiccups, 'No offence, but you're too...'

I cock a brow, my stomach sinking. Too what?
'Well?' I urge when Dee can't give me an answer, and she groans.

'I don't know, Harry. You're just not who I would sleep with. You're my friend. My mate. My pal. My buddy. My—'

'Please stop.'

'Sorry.'

I sigh, pushing my carrot cake away and leaning back in my chair. My back tenses up at the movement and I pull a twisted face. I'd slept on the couch last night. Wes was up late, talking to someone on the phone and it was too loud and distorted through my wall. Ridiculously annoying.

'What's up with you?' Dee asks, sipping at her iced coffee through its biodegradable straw again. I eye the framed print behind her head. It was of an owl; painted faintly and open to interpretation, I assumed. It was quite pretty.

'Nothing. Well...' I hesitate, running a hand through my curls and then massaging the back of my neck where it's stiff. I don't really enjoy lying to Dee, 'I'm just stressed out.'

'What for? The business? It's going good, isn't it? You've got the lot, the name's coming along, Al—'

'No, not that.'

'Then what?'

Well... nothing. Everything was fine. My life was great. I had no worries. What was I being such a fucking pussy for?

When Dee can't get anything out of me, she takes a deep inhale and then clears her throat, rubbing the tip of her nose.

'What are you doing tonight? The guys and I are going out for drinks. You should come. You can bring Al,' Dee asks and I bite the inside of my mouth.